Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-03-12
AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE.
Its Horrors Recailed-Wm. ]. Haynes
Describes the Work Of fhe Steam
ship GrGmpus.
How White Girls Were Bartered to Chiefs
for Ship.Loads of Native Afri-
cans.
St. Louis Republican.

St. Louis Republican.
ayes" said VIM. Jack Haynes, the cen
tenarian, yesterday, az was in the slave
trade for three years: that is, l was engi-
neer on the steamship Grampus which
ran from New Orleans to Africa for three
years, buying negroes in Africa and sell
ing them to planters in New Orleans"
"How did you get possession of the
negroes to bring them oyer?"
81 will tell you how we generally man
aged, and we always had good load on
our return trip. You know in those days,
fifty or sixty years ago, the Servan
girls in the south were of very ordinary
and worthless kind and would do most
anything. Many Of them had no home
and few, If any, friends, and so no one
noticed their departure. The captain OF
the ship Grampus would induce number
OF these girls to go on board SIS servants,
and when We reached the coast of Africa we
would cast anchor and the captain and his
men would have the boats lowered aid 60
ashore. They would soon ascertain
where the chief or head man Of the tribe
lived and then they would take one or two
of the girls ashore with them Sn0 pay a visit
to the head of the savage tribe. The
girls were always willing to go and see
the country and when they reached the
African chief they were made an article of
merchandise ust as were the tTinkets
that we carried over with them. The
captain would negotiate by signs when no
interpreter could be had. and the savage
chief most always was
CHARMED WITH THE WHITE GIRLS,
and was possessed Of strong desire to
have them remain. He would give them
all kinds Of presents and make much ado
over them, and it was by taking adVaR-
tage of this weakness that the captain was
almost always successful in bartering
them to him for as many negroes Of his
tribe as he could carry away. Sometimes
he would have to leave two girls if he
brought back q very large number of Afri-
cans"
"These girls were then forced to stay,
were they"
''TheTe was always more or less STRAIT
egg used, and they generally consented to
remain until the SHIP returned. Through
the overtures of the chief, and the assur-
ance that everything the country afforded
would be st their command, and partly
through the threats of the captain, and
his promises to return, they generally re-
manned, seemingly content to wait for our
return, but always waited in vain. We
would make up OCr load of slaves, turn
ing a certain number of them in each
evening, and storing them securely in the
hold. and, by repeating this each day, we
would, with the chiefs help soon get as
many as we cared 10 sail with. They
We're never ObstreperOus, and seemed
perfectly content as long as they got
plenty to eat, and were Joyous in their
barbsriC conversations in the ships hold.
Occasionally one would die and
we would throw him into the sea,
and then the others would make strange
signs and motions. l think they wor-
shipped the sun and moon when in their
own country"
SHIP-LOAD OF AFRICANS FOR TWO GIRLS.
"And could you get a ship-losd of
negroes for two servant girls?"
"Yes, sir; that's what we did. OF
course, there were more or less trinkets
given, but we never hoped to accomplish
anything until we had msde peace with
the chief of the tribe, and this could
most always be done with two girls. We
never left more than three with the head
OF tribe.'
"What kind of slaves did you prefer to
bring Over?"
1--WE always picked for the young bucks, !
say from seventeen % twenty years old. |
We also brought q number of females
about the same age. NY! what q scent
would come up from the hold of the ship
when the hatchway was raised 1t would
almost knock q man backwards. We
frequently brought them all up on deck, but
when a storm came they would drop back
TO the hold in an instant, at the wave Of
white hand. They were very obedient,
and | never knew one TO show any incllna-
ton TO be otherwise"
''What report would you give on your
return to America of those girls who went
out with your"
"They were. as s rule, never inquired
after, but on one occasion 8 girl whom
We left happened to belong to L pretty
good family, and when We returned TO
New Orleans her friends were on hand to
meet her, and when she did not appear
they besOught the captain eagerly as TO |
what had become of her. He Informed !
them that she mad preferred to remain in
the sunny land until The good ship re-
turned. This did not at all satisfy them, |
and they pushed their inquiries day and |
night until they learned the truth, and |
Captain Johnson (for this was his name) |
was in danger of being mObbed, when he |
quietly set sail one evening and passed |
down the river and out through the gulf, |
and
NEVER HEARD OF HIM AFTERWARD.' ,
"Tnen you did not return to African"
"No, 1t was just at this time that had !
an offer to take charge OF an engine on the